_underway_at_sea_on_14_September_1936.jpg) USSFarragut, 14 September 1936 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | David Glasgow Farragut |
| Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation-Fore River Shipyard,Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 20 September 1932 |
| Launched | 15 March 1934 |
| Commissioned | 18 June 1934 |
| Decommissioned | 23 October 1945 |
| Stricken | 28 January 1947 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 14 August 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Farragut-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,365 tons |
| Length | 341 ft 3 in (104.01 m) |
| Beam | 34 ft 3 in (10.44 m) |
| Draught | 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m) |
| Speed | 37 knots (69 km/h) |
| Complement | 160 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
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The thirdUSSFarragut (DD-348) was named for AdmiralDavid Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870). She was thelead ship ofher class of destroyers in theUnited States Navy.
Farragut was laid down byBethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation'sFore River Shipyard inQuincy, Massachusetts, on 20 September 1932, launched on 15 March 1934 by Mrs. James Roosevelt, daughter-in-law of thePresident, and commissioned on 18 June 1934, with CommanderElliott Buckmaster in command.
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Because it was nearly 14 years since a new destroyer had been commissioned in the U.S. Navy,Farragut devoted much of her early service to developmental operations, cruising out of her homeport ofNorfolk, Virginia, to theCaribbean and along the east coast. On 26 March 1935, she embarked with PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt atJacksonville, Florida, and the next day carried him to a rendezvous with a private yacht. Farragut escorted the President's yacht on a cruise to theBahamas; on 7 April he embarked on her for passage to Jacksonville, where he left the ship on 8 April 1935.
Farragut sailed forSan Diego, California, arriving there on 19 April 1935 to join Destroyer Squadron 20 asflagship. Fleet maneuvers on the west coast, training operations in theHawaiian Islands, and cruises during the summer to train men of theNaval Reserve inAlaskan waters continued until 3 January 1939.Farragut then sailed for fleet maneuvers in the Caribbean, returning to San Diego on 12 April. From 2 October she was based atPearl Harbor, and made two voyages to the west coast to screen carriers to Pearl Harbor. From 1 August 1941, Farragut was usually at sea for exercises with carrier task forces.
Farragut was berthed in a nest of destroyers inEast Loch, Pearl Harbor, at the time of theJapaneseattack on 7 December 1941. Ensign James Armen Benham, her engineering officer and senior on board at the time, got her underway, and as she sailed down the channel, she kept up a steady fire. For his action, Ensign Benham was awarded the Bronze Star.[1] Through March 1942,Farragut operated in Hawaiian waters, and fromOahu toSan Francisco, California, on anti-submarine patrols and escort duty.
On 15 April 1942,Farragut sortied from Pearl Harbor with theLexington (CV-2) task force, bound for theCoral Sea and a rendezvous with theYorktown (CV-5) task force. Together these forces engaged Japanese forces in theBattle of the Coral Sea from 4 to 8 May 1942. For the first 2 days of the battle,Farragut sailed with the Attack Force, while theaircraft carriers in another group launched air strikes onTulagi. On 6 May, all ships were united as TF 17, and sailed to the northwestward to make contact with the Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Group. Next day,Farragut was detached in the Support Group assigned to continue the search for the Japanese invasion forces.Farragut's group came under heavy air attack that afternoon, but downed at least five aircraft, and received no damage to any ship.
Farragut arrived atCid Harbor, Australia, 11 May 1942, and until returning to Pearl Harbor 29 June, called atBrisbane,Nouméa,Suva,Tongatapu, andAuckland while on escort duty. She next sortied from Pearl Harbor 7 July 1942, in theUSS Saratoga (CV-3) task force, bound for action in theSolomon Islands. She served as screening ship and plane guard during the air operations covering the assault onGuadalcanal 7 August, and then patrolled the eastern Solomons to protect sea lanes to Guadalcanal. On 24 and 25 August, the carrier she guarded engaged Japanese forces in the airBattle of the Eastern Solomons.
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The destroyer remained in the southwest Pacific, patrolling off Guadalcanal to guard unloading transports, and escorting convoys from Australia toEspiritu Santo,Nouméa, and theFiji Islands. She returned to Pearl Harbor 27 January 1943, and after a west coast overhaul and training, arrived atAdak 16 April. She patrolled Alaskan waters until 11 May, when she screened transports landing troops on Adak from submarine attack. Next day she made several depth charge attacks on an enemy submarine and she continued anti-submarine patrol off theAleutian Islands through June.Farragut patrolled and blockaded offKiska from 5 July, joining in the bombardment of the island many times in the days before the landings of 15 August. She continued to protect the troops ashore at Kiska until 4 September, when she left Adak in convoy for San Francisco and a brief overhaul.
Farragut put to sea, from San Diego 19 October 1943, bound for training in the Hawaiian Islands and at Espiritu Santo. Again guarding carriers, she took part in the air operations covering the landings onTarawa 20 November, and screened the carriers until the task force shaped course for Pearl Harbor 8 December. The destroyer continued on to the west coast for a brief repair period and training, sailing from San Diego 13 January 1944 for action in theMarshall Islands. During the assaults onKwajalein andEniwetok, she screened carriers, patrolled, and conducted anti-submarine searches, then sailed for air strikes onWoleai andWakde. Late in April, she was offNew Guinea as the carriers supported the landings in theHollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area, and through May joined in training operations out ofMajuro.
From her arrival offSaipan 11 June 1944,Farragut guarded the carriers covering the landings of 15 June, bombarded the shores of Saipan andGuam, and served as radar picket through theBattle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and 20 June.Farragut sailed to replenish at Eniwetok 28 June to 14 July. On 17 and 18 July, she closed the beach atAgat, Guam, to provide covering fire for underwater demolition teams preparing for the assault on the island. After screening a cruiser to Saipan she returned to Guam 21 July to patrol seaward of the Fire Support Group covering the assault landings. On 25 July, she joined in the bombardment ofRota, and 5 days later cleared for overhaul atPuget Sound Navy Yard.
_off_the_Puget_Sound_Navy_Yard_in_September_1944.jpg)
Farragut arrived atUlithi 21 November 1944, and sailed 4 days later to screen a group of oilers serving the fast carrier task force as it sent strikes againstTaiwan andLuzon in preparation for the assault onLingayen. Based on Ulithi, she served with this group as it supported the carriers in their operations of theIwo Jima andOkinawa invasions, then from 25 to 28 April 1945 served on carrier screening duty for air operations on islands of theRyukyus not yet invaded. From 11 May to 6 August, she escorted convoys between Ulithi andOkinawa, and during the last 2 weeks of May, served on radar picket duty at Okinawa.
The destroyer was homeward bound from Saipan 21 August 1945, arriving at theBrooklyn Navy Yard 25 September.Farragut was decommissioned on 23 October 1945, stricken from theNaval Vessel Register on 28 January 1947 and sold for scrap on 14 August 1947.
Farragut received 14battle stars for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.